A/N - This is one of my most recent stories.I am only half way through butI like it so far. The hardest part was getting into the sicko's head. That was and still is the hardest part of it.
Tragic Kingdom
Chapter One - Just a Girl
He had always liked walking in this area outside of his home. The ground rose and fell as if the earth itself was breathing and the sturdy trees that sometimes littered the Nevada desert provided him with the perfect shade when the sun got too much. He liked to walk his dog here and together they often found treasures, like the sheep skull that they had found the other week. He had polished it up until the bone again was white and shipped it up coast to where his eldest son was majoring in the study of bones. He always forgot what the name for it was. The man snapped out of his thoughts when an excited bark reached his ears. He half ran half walked to where the dog was digging at the hard sand furiously, his tail going hard as he wagged it side to side. The man knelt beside the dog and helped dig with his hands. He paused when he felt something soft brush against his fingers, letting the dog finish what he started. When he saw what they had unearthed, the man pulled the dog back by the collar, commanding him to sit. The bent broken body of a little black girl was in the shallow hole that they had just uncovered, the man's mind was turning as he pulled out his cell phone. He had heard in the news about another little black girl that had been found ten miles south from here, he hoped that this was a different case. He didn't want another family to suffer.
Jim Brass sighed heavily as he waited for Gil Grissom and his team to show up to process this particularly heinous crime. He had seen some things in his time, but Jim Brass still felt the anger curse through his veins when it came to crimes against children. As a father himself, he never wanted to grow accustomed to them.
Brass was unnerved with how this certain killer was getting away with doing so much and leaving them so little to go on. One thing he was grateful for was the fact that the best people to do the job where just pulling up. Only Catherine Willows, blonde/red hair blowing in the slightly breeze and Gil Grissom hopped out of the now parked truck, cases in hand they headed straight to Brass.
"We got another one guys. He struck again."
Brass pointed to the little naked girl that was now lying in the open thanks to the man who found her and what little breeze they had. He heard Catherine give a little sigh as she pulled her hair back in a rubber band. Brass knew it was hard on her as well; these child cases hurt anyone with kids.
"Did the guy who found her notice anything unusual?"
Brass shook his head.
"Nothing. His dog obviously caught the scent and started digging. She looks almost exactly like little Ruby."
Sadly enough, the little girl that was found two weeks previously had never been reported missing or had even been claimed. The police officers that had helped process the scene and helped with the case christened her Ruby after the motel that she was just up the road from. The Las Vegas police department had also footed the bill for a proper burial for the little girl. Whoever had killed her had abused her for weeks, beating her and raping her before finally strangling her to death and disposing of the body in the desert.
"I hope that she's nothing like Ruby. No kid should have to go through that."
Catherine went to kneel beside Grissom under the crime tape, examining the body with practised eyes. The little girl was curled into a tight ball, her hand and feet tied with little stripes of plastic. Her eyes were closed, her mouth open ever so slightly. She was completely naked. Catherine began taking photographs, zooming in and out to get every angle of the body that she could. As the paramedics came over Catherine talked to them in a low voice.
"Hey guys, we may have another Ruby here. Treat her carefully ok?"
The paramedics nodded gravely and carefully picked her up out of her sand prison, laying her gently into a new body bag. Catherine watched as they drove away, and then satisfied that they were on their way to see Doc Robbins, Catherine turned her attention back to the hole. Grissom had just finished taking photos when Catherine spotted something in her torch light. She picked up her long tweezers out of her field kit and picked up the object. It was a large white pearl. She couldn't be sure if it was a real one or a fake but it was the best lead they had.
"What was she doing with a pearl?"
Catherine offered Grissom a quick shrug before setting about trying to find some more evidence. After an hour, she threw up her hands.
"Again a big fat nothing. How can that guy leave nothing?"
Grissom held up the mini evidence bag that contained the small white pearl.
"We have a pearl. Maybe the little girl could give us something more."
Catherine nodded as she watched Grissom pack up his kit, before following suit. They had a lot to do before the shift ended.
Catherine turned over for what felt like the hundredth time that night. For the life of her, she could not hold still long enough for sleep to take her away. A warm arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to the centre of the bed made a wave of guilt wash over her. She had woken him up.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up"
Warrick's breath was hot against the skin of her neck where he was kissing the soft flesh, making her toes tingle.
"That's ok. I'm not that tired anyway. What's up with all the moving?"
Catherine sighed and turned herself over to face Warrick, his arm still keeping its place around her waist.
"This case is bugging me. What if we have another Ruby?"
Warrick shrugged, his head leaning on his arm that was now resting on the pillow.
"Then we deal with it. We'll catch him and he'll go to prison for what he's been doing."
Catherine sighed.
"I know that. You know what scares me? What if these girl's aren't his first? What if they are by no means his last? What if there are more little girls just waiting to be found?"
Warrick saw the fear and genuine concern in her blue eyes and wondered, not for the first time, if he should talk to Grissom about Catherine being on this case. It was causing her sleepless nights and clouding her normally impeccable judgement. He was worried for her. Catherine's eyes narrowed as she read the concern in his eyes.
"I'm not getting off this case. I'm staying on it until this bastard is caught and I'm not letting you convince me otherwise."
Catherine locked eyes with his, offering him a challenge that he knew he would never accept. Catherine knew what her limit was only she could decide when it was time to stop. Warrick said nothing, just pulled her closer to his chest.
"Try to get some sleep."
He began to stroke her hair and only stopped when her breathing had deepened to one of sleep. He was now wide awake and too worried about Catherine to let sleep take him again. Catherine was letting this case get to her and when that happened, it did more then just affected her. It affected the whole team.
Sara Sidle had decided to stand in on the autopsy of little girl that they had found, just as she had done with Ruby. Everyone involved in that Ruby case had put money forward to put the little girl to rest and Sara wanted to see if this was going to be a repeat on the horrible events. If it was, then this guy was turning into a serial child killer. Doc Robbins moved the white sheet down the little body slightly.
"Same as Ruby I'm afraid. She was strangled. But this is where things get interesting. She was strangled with a pearl necklace."
Sara's eyebrows jumped to her hairline.
"What?"
Doc showed Sara the pearl that Grissom had found.
"She had this under her body. I think your killer killed her with a necklace. Look at the pocket marks on her skin. Circular and all of varying shapes like on a string of pearls."
Sara did look closer and was surprised just by how clearly the shapes stood out.
"That's sick. What else can you tell me?"
Doc shrugged.
"Identical to Ruby in every way. Beaten and raped repeatedly before she was finally strangled."
Sara sighed.
"Why would someone do this? Keep these little girls as punching bags and sex slaves, what's the point?"
Doc shrugged as he pushed the little body back into the fridge.
"That my dear, is your job. I think their giving it a week before they start a collection for this little one too. They're calling her Pearl"
Sara nodded as she left the room. They needed to find their monster, and soon.
It was a long week; no movement was made on the case. Catherine continued having trouble sleeping, and little Pearl was buried next to Ruby. And the CSI's sat on their thumbs as they did the only thing they could do. Wait. They had to wait for him to slip up. A mistake is all they needed. They were all sitting in sad silence in the break room, Catherine asleep on Warrick's shoulder when Grissom's cell phone began frantically buzzing. The rest of the team sat in silent anticipation as they listened to his side of the very brief conversation. He clicked his phone shut.
"Wake up Cath. A little girl escaped from our mystery man."
The little girl had pretty dark skin, wide scared eyes and long tangled black hair. When LVPD had found her wondering the side of the road, she had been wearing a nightgown stained with blood and dirt. She had been quickly changed into clean clothes and now she sat small and tiny after her hospital examination. She took it bravely, refusing to cry when they did the internal examination, thanking the nurses as they took her blood and checked her general health. She hadn't spoken since the hospital and Grissom was trying to toss up who to send in. Sara didn't think she was good with kids but she had some success in that department recently, and as a mother, Catherine seemed to be a logical choice but his gut was telling him to send in Greg. He wasn't intimidating, he had an easy going essence about him and kids were good at reading people. Greg was their safest choice.
"Greg I want you to go in there and get the girl to talk."
Greg was about to protest and Grissom silenced him with a hand.
"She doesn't need to feel threatened. You're as safe as they come so you are our best bet."
Greg nodded and gave Grissom a grin.
"I'll be back in five minutes."
And he left the room, Grissom in slight surprise. Greg did that often.
"Do you really think she'll tell Greg what we need to know?"
Grissom nodded as he watched the girl through the glass as he answered Catherine's question.
"Yes I do. No offence to you Catherine, but she needs a friendly face. And that's Greg down to a tee. This girl seems smart; she knows that not all men are like our killer. She'll see a friend in Greg, not foe."
Catherine shifted slightly behind Grissom.
"None taken and I agree. Greg would be a welcome sight after the horrors she could have seen."
Greg burst back into the room, the undeniable smell of hot pizza surrounding him. He held the box in one hand and two sodas' in the other. Meeting the rest of the team's confused gaze, he smiled.
"This girl needs to eat."
Grissom opened the door for him without question and watched Greg saunter into the room, the very definition of causal. Grissom shut the door and focused on how Greg did. He was now sitting across from the girl and offered her a soda.
"So what do you want? Sprite or Coke?"
The girl pointed to the coke and Greg slid the can over the table before placing the pizza between them. The girl eyed it up hungrily and only picked up a slice when Greg took one.
"I'm Greg by the way. Do you have a name?"
The girl nodded through her mouthful of food, and despite her hunger, she waited until her mouth was empty before answering.
"My name is Eden."
The girl's accent was strange, kind of Asian and Greg picked up on it easily.
"Eden. That is a beautiful name. So where are you from?"
Eden took a deep swallow of soda before answering.
"Manila, in the Philippines."
Greg allowed the silence to lapse, giving the girl a chance to eat her fill before beginning the questions again.
"How did you come to end up here, in Las Vegas?"
Eden started to pull at the cardboard of the now empty pizza box.
"He killed my parents. The man in the mask killed my parents and brought me here."
Greg looked at the girl as she stared coldly at the box. She was beyond tears; there was nothing left in her anymore. It made Greg's heart break that she was like that.
"Eden, do you know anything about the law?"
Eden looked at Greg with interest, a frown wrinkling her smooth dark skin.
"What do you mean?"
Greg smiled at her.
"Like when someone does something bad they get arrested and put away for a long time? Do you know that?"
Eden nodded.
"But it's not always true is it? The man who hurt me is still out there."
Greg nodded, leaning a little closer to the girl.
"That's why we need you. My friends and I are trying to find another man but we think he might have hurt you too. We need you to tell us everything you can so that we can catch him."
Eden looked at Greg, curiosity all over her face.
"What do you think he did?"
Greg took a second to weigh up his options. He could tell her and break the case or keep it quite and lose her.
"He killed two other girls. He hurt them very badly first. Do you know anything about that?"
Eden smiled a little bitter smile.
"Alexis and Ivy were my friends. They were taken by the man at the same time I was. He didn't kill their parents like he killed mine. He said that he would bring them here and take them to good schools and educate them to be doctors or lawyers. My parents said that I was fine where I was and he shot them. I had their blood on me when I left my house."
Greg put a hand over Eden's and she clutched it tightly.
"Where were you taken to?"
Eden shrugged.
"We were blindfolded and taken into a large dark room. It was cold there and a few of the other girls got sick. The man in the mask took them away and they never came back. Ivy bit him and he took her away too. Then Alexis tried to escape and he killed her too. I know he killed them all. He smelt like death."
Eden's face was dark and her slim fingers kept their crushing grip on Greg's.
"Eden, how many other girls' were there with you?"
Greg watched as Eden did a quick mental calculation.
"Twelve in total. Nine now that Ivy, Alexis and I have gone."
Greg tired to cover his horror and smiled at Eden again.
"Are you doing ok? Tell me if these questions get too much ok?"
Eden nodded, and when she didn't pass comment, Greg pushed on.
"How did you escape?"
Eden froze her yes wide with fear.
"I don't remember too well. The man had gone out and he had left the door to the room open. I thought it was a trick at first and so I waited for him to come back. After an hour, I knew that he had forgotten. I ran. I didn't see anything, hear anything or know anything except the running. That's all I could do. I ran for a few hours, until my legs gave out from under me and then I walked. I kept to the bushes and high trees, I didn't know where I was and I was worried he might see me at any time. Them I saw the police car and I knew I would be safe."
Eden was exhausted. Her shoulders were slumped forward and her eyes were beginning to droop.
"Hey Eden, do you want to get some sleep?"
Eden nodded.
"Do you want me to carry you?"
Eden nodded again. Greg went around to the other side of the table and scooped her up easily and carried her out of the interview room. He meet Grissom's approving gaze.
"Where should I take her? Your office or the break room?"
"My office but you will need to stay with her. She'll be confused and scared by her very different surrounding. Read a book or something but stay with her ok Greg?"
Greg nodded and moved towards Grissom's office, gently laying Eden on the couch. She was already fast asleep and Greg covered her with a blanket and took off her shoes before settling himself behind Grissom's desk. Greg felt proud of himself. His interview had been a huge success and hopefully Eden's statement will help them find the other girls that were stuck in the dark room that Eden had described. For now Greg was happy that at least she was in the safest hands possible.
The man viewed his latest treasures, smiling to himself. They mixed in with the others, frightened by their new surroundings, looking at him with wide eyes. In doing that they gave all that he wanted, absolute control and order. He continued to watch, moving more into the shadows so that they felt he had left them alone. He knew that he had to be much more careful after Eden escaped and he could hardly believe that the smallest was also the bravest. She would have been picked up by the police but he had covered his tracks well. He never had sex with them without a condom and when he disposed of them, he was careful to use gloves. His eyes roamed over the young bodies in front of him and he could feel the blood beginning to pump harder through his veins. He could smell the fear rolling off of them, the absolute confusion and the need to escape. Unfortunately they tended to follow the same pattern. When he had started importing these girls, he had expected the spirits to break much easier then they did. After they got over their initial fear, which generally took two or three months, they started to fight back. So he did the only thing a logical man could do. He disposed of them. He knew that this would seem callous to most people but these girls meant nothing to him and never will.
He watched and did what he did every night, picking through them one by one until he had decided which one would go to bed with him. Maybe one of the newer ones was finally ready to experience all that America had to offer.
Sara felt sick to her stomach as she listened to Eden tell Greg exactly what 'The Man in the Mask' had done to her. After her sleep in Grissom's office, Eden seemed much more prepared to open up but she had insisted that Greg be with her. A child psychologist was in the room with them but Eden seemed much more comfortable talking directly to Greg. The words were horrifying to hear, but Eden seemed to have accepted that this had all happened to her. She was beyond tears, and Sara was certain that there was no denial there, just pure acceptance. Sara was still trying to get stomach out of her throat when Catherine came and stood next to her in the viewing room and Sara felt a stab of concern for her team mate. She could see the effect that this case was taking on Catherine, saw the fight just about fall out of the woman that seemed to be endlessly strong.
"Catherine are you sure you should be here? Some of things she's saying are hard to hear."
Catherine nodded, her look determined.
"You know what it's like Sara. I need to see this to the end. If I don't, it will be harder on me and anyone who is in breathing distance."
Catherine granted Sara a small tight smile.
"But thank you for your concern."
Sara nodded and let the topic fall and turned her attention back to Eden who was telling more horror stories in great detail.
"What has she told them so far?"
Sara shuddered.
"Are you sure you want to know? Ignorance is bliss in this case."
Catherine nodded her head hard.
"He kept them in a cold dark room, we knew that already, but at night he would choose one or more to join him in the bed for the night."
Catherine frowned.
"How old is Eden?"
"Twelve. She said that the other girls there were her age or younger. The youngest one that was there was nine. He's just plucking these girls away from their families, killing them if necessary. We're not dealing with a man; we're dealing with a monster. A child rapist and killer."
Catherine crossed her arms tightly across her chest.
"But why get them from the Philippines? There are plenty of places in the US that have kids like that."
"It's the exchange rate over there. It's probably cheaper to pay off the parents there and they would trust a rich American."
Catherine said nothing, her eyes trained on Eden. She looked a lot better after her sleep and shower. Catherine had brought in some of Lindsey's old clothes from her house, the blue jeans and pink sweater hanging off her incredibly thin frame. She had eaten ravenously, the pizza that Greg had provided earlier long forgotten. Catherine had almost forgotten just how much Lindsey had eaten when she went through her growth spurt at that age, but after seeing Eden put so much away in her tiny frame, she remembered all too clearly.
"Has she given us a description?"
Sara nodded a frown creasing her forehead.
"Yes but its a little odd. Even when he was talking to her parents, she was kept in her room, so she never got to see him clearly. And when he came back later that night, he was wearing a mask. He shot her parents and dragged her out of the house. What little she can give us in the mask and his voice; he also has a tattoo on his inner thigh."
Sara saw a small shudder go through Catherine's slim body.
"What of?"
"A snake."
Catherine smirked.
"How appropriate. What about the mask? Was there anything unusual or distinctive about it?"
Sara smiled slightly.
"Would you believe it was The Hypnic man mask?"
Catherine frowned.
"The what now?"
"In the eighties they tried to release this new comic book character but it never got off the ground. The Hypnic Man was that character."
"And what were his powers?"
Sara glanced at the piece of paper she pulled out of her pocket.
"According to a web site, the power to control anything that had a pulse. So maybe this guy has a delusion of grandeur."
Catherine made a small facial shrug.
"Surely there can't be too many of those masks around, especially if it died out in the eighties."
Sara nodded.
"I went on the website and only two hundred of them were ever sold in the US."
Catherine nodded.
"Ok then. You narrow those down and I get to try and ring Alexis and Ivy's parents."
Sara looked sadly at Eden.
"What about Eden? What happens to her after all this?"
Catherine shrugged.
"She'll either go into the system here or they'll find her some Aunt's and Uncles over in Manilla."
Sara nodded and turned to leave the room, the list in her hand would keep her out of trouble for a few hours and she needed to get to work. When Catherine didn't make a move, Sara turned back.
"Hey Cath, you ok?"
"I will be when this guy is behind bars. Either that or dead. I think I'll stay here a little longer. I'll check up with you later ok?"
Catherine turned back to the glass, her forehead resting against the cool surface and Sara closed the door quietly behind her, her mind shifting from its current course. She needed to find Warrick.
Sara was about to give up when she checked in Grissom's office and found the two men in deep discussion.
"Hey guys. Am I interrupting something?"
Warrick shook his head.
"Not if you can keep a secret. Shut the door behind you."
Sara did as she was told before taking a seat next to Warrick, glancing between the two men.
"What's up?"
Warrick turned on his mega watt grin and opened a silk box in Sara's face. Nestled inside was a perfect circle diamond embedded in a gold band.
"Is that what I think it is?"
Warrick nodded, his smile getting wider.
"I want to ask Catherine to marry me."
Sara let out a little squeal and threw herself into Warrick's arms, giving him a tight hug before returning to her seat.
"That's great! Congratulations! When are you going to ask her?"
And with that Warrick's smile began to fade.
"That's what I was talking to Grissom about. Catherine's starting to get really hurt by this case. I'm really concerned for her. It's been almost a month since she's had good nights sleep."
Sara raised her eyebrows and Warrick looked at the floor.
"I moved in with her about the time this case started, that's how I know Sidle. Now back to the topic at hand, we were just trying to figure out a solution."
Sara shook her head.
"I think the only solution is catching this guy. She seems pretty determined that that will be the only thing that gets her off this."
Warrick shook his head hard.
"That's not going to work. She's killing herself over this. I found her just standing, crying in the shower the other night. I have never seen her like this with any other case and it scares me."
Sara put a hand on Warrick's arm as he broke down before exchanginga worried look with Grissom.